Authorities said the remains appear to be quite old. They suspect the bones may have been part of an ancient burial ground that was unearthed by strong surf caused by Hurricane Sandy.

"I thought it was a piece of pottery at first because of the shape of the head being round," said Justin Kernan, who was with friends when he made the discovery. "I was like, 'Oh, wow. Look at this.' Turned it over and it had the fusion lines of the head where it came together. It was a skull."

An archeologist examined the site, and the bones were brought to the medical examiner's office.